Sunday, July 8, 2012

Happy belated 4th of July! It's been a while since we last posted (Easter) - but here we are, knee deep in brewing awesomeness. Time to take a second, exhale, and let the world know what we have been up to.

There are a few major things that have to happen before you can start a brewery, so I wanted to update you guys a little bit on how far we have come and what else we have left to complete.

1) Plans/Drawings and general concept documented - [Complete]

2) Federal paperwork submitted and approved - [Complete]

3) Equipment installed, brewery piped/finished - [Complete, mostly]

4) State inspection/approval - [Hoping for approval this week]

5) Brew beer! - [very, very, soon]

6) Finish "front of the house" renovations - [we're in high gear on this as we speak]

7) Couple more inspections after renovation, then open! - [workin' on it!]

With the brewery side of the renovation finishing up this week, we are in high gear trying to get the taproom/fireside room/lounge/restrooms/biergarten renovated. It has been such a cool experience seeing the transformation of the historic Heritage building into the new brewery concept. We have tried to keep much of the historic feel to the building while giving it some necessary updates.

The landscaping and renovation of the exterior of the building has also been quite the task. If you drive by the Heritage on a regular/semi-regular basis you may have noticed that the building is being brought back to life. A fresh coat of paint, some old trim/wood being ripped down, and some landscaping are just a handful of the things that we have accomplished - with a laundry list of about 20 more items to go.

With all of that being said I wanted to post a couple pictures of some of our equipment that's hooked up and in place at the brewery. I hope you guys enjoy, and I look forward to providing some pictures/updates just as soon as Blake and I get some beer into the new tanks!

PS - We're planning on doing some live-updates from our inaugural brew on our Brewing with Friends Facebook page...more details to follow on the timing of the brew as this week progresses...stay tuned!